American Heart Association Honors Adrian Adams and Kos Pharmaceuticals With ``Heart of New York Pharmaceutical Partner Award''.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003

Prestigious Award Highlights Kos' Dedication and

Innovation in the Fight against Heart Disease

Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KOSP) announced today that its President and CEO, Adrian Adams, will receive the American Heart Association's Heart of New York Pharmaceutical Partner Award on behalf of the Company's continuing support of the American Heart Association programs and in support of its mission.

Kos Pharmaceuticals has pioneered innovative therapies for the treatment of multiple lipid disorders, including the first patient friendly therapy to raise HDL cholesterol or the "good cholesterol" and the first dual component therapy for the treatment of cholesterol disorders. In addition to offering safe and effective therapies for modulating lipid risk factors, Kos supports the American Heart Association on a national level through its web-based Cholesterol Heart Profilers, as well as local activities such as the Gala, American Heart Walk and women's luncheons. Under Mr. Adams' leadership, Kos has contributed significantly to the increased awareness among medical practitioners and patients of the importance to modulate several lipid risk factors across various patient populations, such as diabetics and across gender groups, in particular, women. The award, which is only presented to one pharmaceutical company a year, will be presented to Mr. Adams at the 2004 Heart of New York Gala on February 10th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Each year the ad hoc gala steering committee identifies an honoree for the event. The committee is comprised of senior staff, board members and other key volunteers from the corporate, medical and pharmaceutical fields as well as academia. The Heart of New York Pharmaceutical Partner Award is awarded to a pharmaceutical industry executive whose leadership has led to innovations in the fight against heart disease and stroke.

"Kos is recognized for its involvement in numerous American Heart Association programs, and for its pioneering efforts in the treatment of multiple lipid disorders," said Gil Bashe, board member of the American Heart Association in New York City and Executive Vice President of Makovsky & Company. "Kos has also been at the forefront of educating doctors and patients on the need to treat beyond LDL and that low HDL may play just as crucial a role as high LDL in determining a person's risk for heart disease."

Since the creation of the "Heart of New York Award" in 1993, an impressive roster of honorees has included, Richard Zahn, Shering Laboratories; William C. Steere, Jr., Pfizer Inc.; David Stout, GlaxoSmithKline; O. Wayne Isom, M.D., Weill Cornell Medical Center; Thomas S. Murphy, Capital Cities/ABC; Brian D. Perkins, Johnson & Johnson; Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., Mount Sinai Medical Center; and Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Hearst Corporation.

"We are honored and proud to be receiving this prestigious award in recognition of the significant contributions that Kos has made in changing the paradigm in treating beyond LDL cholesterol in the effort to fight heart disease," said Adrian Adams, President and CEO of Kos Pharmaceuticals.

Kos has emerged as a significant player in cardiovascular therapies for patients with heart disease, still the number one killer in America. The Company currently markets Niaspan(R) (niacin extended-release tablets) and Advicor(R) (niacin extended-release/lovastatin tablets), two products developed internally for the treatment of cholesterol disorders.

Available since 1997, Niaspan is the only FDA-approved, once-daily extended-release formulation of niacin for the treatment of cholesterol disorders. Niaspan continues to experience broader utilization, where it crossed the 11 million prescription level in October 2003 and is recognized as the drug of choice by 80% of cardiologists and 60% of general practitioners for its safety and efficacy in raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

After only 42 months of development, Kos launched Advicor in early 2002, the first and only fixed-dose combination therapy approved for the treatment of cholesterol disorders. Advicor provides physicians with a convenient and safe option for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia, and is the first and only fixed-dose combination therapy that beneficially affects all the of the major lipid parameters: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), HDL, and triglycerides. Advicor is also experiencing rapid growth, as prescriptions for Advicor crossed the first million mark in less than two years on the market.

Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., http://www.kospharm.com, is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in developing, commercializing, manufacturing and marketing proprietary prescription products for the treatment of chronic diseases. The Company's principal product development strategy is to reformulate existing pharmaceutical products with large market potential to improve safety, efficacy, or patient compliance. The Company currently markets Niaspan and Advicor for the treatment of cholesterol disorders. Kos is developing additional products and has proprietary drug delivery technologies in solid-dose and aerosol metered-dose inhalation administration.